Weapon X Retrospective- Chapter 4

by Dave Scrimgeour and Kevin McCluskey

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​Writer- Barry Windsor-Smith
Artist- Barry Windsor-Smith
Letterers- Jim Novak & Barry Windsor-Smith
Editor- Terry Kavanagh

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synopsis

We get a glimpse inside the mind of Weapon X.....literally.

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Dave
So, the 4th chapter, and right away the cover is epic.  I remember this one; the full moon with the wild animal running loose.  It's very basic, but it's striking in its colours.  And of course, the Death's Head head shot in the corner box adds a great touch.  Wolvie looks some physical size in this picture, height wise and he looks totally beefed out as well.  


Kev
Yeh, man, it's another cracking cover.  It has a real kinetic energy about it, with a nice blood red Logan, framed by a moon-like operator’s light.  And our old pal Death’s Head has taken up residence in the corner box for this issue, yes?  I see what you mean about Logan's physical stature.  He's huge.  He's been upping his protein intake.  He's got them gains.  Superb stuff.


Dave
The contrast between the blood red and the muted moon colour is excellent.  I went into this issue half expecting another wordy issue and guess what, it delivered.


Kev
Yeh, there's quite a bit of dialogue in this one, alright.  Although, in saying that, I don't think there was actually all that much that happened in this particular chapter.  Ah, a blood moon indeed.  Ha, ha!


Dave
That second panel on the first page is another image I recall.  Taken from an aerial perspective and detailed to the max.  It's a brilliant panel.  It seems like this issue has some real role reversals in the dynamic between The Professor and Cornelius.

The cable management in the Weapon laboratory is giving me the fear.

Kev
Definitely.  The Professor is beginning to lose control of this situation, to say the least.  Yeh, the amount of cables that Windsor-Smith puts in there is obscene.  It makes for a cracking visual though.


Dave
Yeah, not a lot particularly happens in this issue.  It just carries on at its pace.  Windsor-Smith likes to pace out the story for sure.


Kev
He certainly does.  Although, being honest, I reckon this might be the first part of this story where I’ve felt that the pace is starting to lag a little.  It feels like we’ve already been here, and that we've already gone through this beat at least once before already.


Dave
It felt like it could have sped up a little, for sure.  At this point he has established a fair bit.


Kev
Yeh, I'm not sure the amount of story that was told within this chapter, warranted having a whole chapter dedicated to it, if you know what I mean?  That's not to say that I'm not still really enjoying it however, 'cause I am.


Dave
I do like the bit of humour injected in the second page, where The Professor is slowly starting to unravel from this cold, calculating machine, to an overly keen, almost childish dictator.  I like the panel of Cornelius and Miss Hines having a snigger when he starts his megalomaniac speech, and the machine isn't turned on.


Kev
Yeh man, that's a nice little comedy beat.  There’s not been a lot of humour in this so far, so it’s a bit of welcome light relief actually.


Dave
Yep, it has pretty much been humour free.


Kev
Ha, ha!  Yes, it's a bit dour so far, to say the least.


Dave
I suppose this covers the origin of Wolvie’s adamantium, hence the feeling of this issue covering ground that has already been covered previously.  If anything Windsor-Smith has been meticulous in his writing and structuring of the story though.


Kev
Oh, definitely.  It's meticulous, alright.  You can see, by the merest of glances at the artwork, that this has been painstakingly crafted.  The images that appear on the screen via Logan’s mind are pretty disturbing.  It's yet more body horror stuff.  They really help solidify the idea of Logan, almost literally, having had his humanity stripped away from him by this process that they’ve subjected him to.  There’s strong Frankenstein vibes going on here too.  “Create a monster.”  Not to mention the fact that Dr. Cornelius refers to Logan as “brutish,” is a clear indication of the lack of respect, and empathy, that he has for him.


Dave
This is where the story goes into the horror aspect again.  These images are quite disturbing, with no punches pulled in the storytelling.  It's not for kids in the slightest.  Plus, Logan has pretty much been in the buff for the most of this story, and there have been a few panels where the art of shading has been used to full effect to hide the privates.


Kev
Definitely not for kids, no.  You don't want to traumatise children with images of a naked, hairy, 5ft 3", hundreds of years old Canadian, with bones sticking out of his hands.


Dave
I felt that Logan breaking free and attacking Miss Hines, and then The Professor had already been done.  Was it really needed?  It probably was, simply for the purpose of this issue, but he has already done this.  I suppose it adds to the drama and tension of the issue.


​Kev
​That's what I thought too.  There was a sense of rinse-and-repeat familiarity at play here.  The artwork is still gorgeous, and it's got a couple of nice little bits of character development, plus we get to see Logan's reaction to their attempted control of him, but there was a definite sense of deja vu about this chapter.  In saying that, even as I typed that out, I realised that perhaps that wasn't so shabby an accomplishment for 8 pages.


Dave
That panel on the 4th page, of Wolvie’s image with the spikes coming out of his face, is really eye catching.

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Dunno if I'm sold on this version of Eddie on the new Iron Maiden album, 'What Have You Done To Meee!!?"

Kev
Yeh.  It's like the cover of a local metal band's demo tape.


Dave
It was interesting to see The Professor becoming more human in this issue, and Cornelius slowly becoming less humanized.


Kev
The Professor was certainly humbled in this chapter, wasn't he?  Once he realised that there was a genuine threat to his life as a result of his mad experiment, a lot of his confidence and bravado started to ebb away.


Dave
That was interesting, how he abruptly changed from the master, to "Get him killed, I'm scared shitless."  This is when Cornelius steps up and assumes the role that The Professor is no longer fulfilling.  The project must continue.


Kev
I thought that too, about just how quickly The Professor changes his tune.  And you're right, as The Professor starts to unravel somewhat, Cornelius seems to assume the role as project leader, because he manages to remain much calmer, more focused, and ultimately, in control.


Dave
This issue still has a claustrophobic appeal to it at times, such as the first panel on page 7 of Logan sedated, where The Professor and Cornelius and Miss Hines all in close proximity.  It's a bit like the classic chest bursting scene in 'Alien.'

That final episode of Holby City was wild.

Kev
That's a really good point, man.  It hadn't really occurred to me just how cramped this little lab of theirs is, but they're virtually right on top of each other.  It really does help build the tension though, and will ultimately be a massive contrast to when Logan inevitably escapes their clutches.


Dave
Yeah, throughout this story, the lab has had that claustrophobic look about it.  The secret government style of lab, where all kinds of unethical experiments and projects take place.


Kev
Definitely.  It's like a military, or prison lab, with tooled-up security on the other side of the metal, or glass, door as an insurance policy.  There is a real horror vibe to this, with the bone claws cutting through the flesh and the skin of Logan's knuckles, and the images of Logan’s intentions being broadcast on the screen, for all his desired victims to see.


Dave
The last page is actually quite a good finisher, what with the slow emergence of Logan's adamantium.  I like those 4 panels where they slowly notice, one by one, and it is reflected in each panel.  The final panel finally shows that Cornelius has unofficially assumed control and The Professor has turned into a snivelling little rodent.  Well, maybe not, but after all his speeches to Cornelius in the previous issues, he is kind-of full of shit.

"And every little thing the reflex does, leaves you answered with a question mark."

Kev
It's an excellent closing page.  And that image of Logan's intentions towards The Professor, are as good a reason as any for him to turn into such a snivelling little rodent.  The writing is literally on the wall for that man.


Dave
Initially it was Cornelius that was feeling out of his depth, but now The Professor is starting to feel like this.  The change in that dynamic was an unexpected turn, but that's down to the writing skills of Windsor-Smith.  He has really invested his time into this story.  It really is the original Wolverine origin story.


Kev
Yeh, the change in the dynamic between The Professor and Cornelius is fascinating, and I'm really curious to see where it's going, not to mention how it's going to end.  And I agree, you're right, Windsor-Smith has certainly crafted a piece of the puzzle of what was, at the time, the big mystery of Logan's past and his origin.


Dave
It seems to have a set pace, and I can't imagine it changing.  More likely Windsor-Smith will use this to explore a multitude of themes and storylines.


Kev
For sure.  It's a slow burn, and it's methodically paced, but as long as there's enough happening within each 8 page chapter to keep me invested, I'll probably continue to find it really enjoyable.  I think this chapter is the first time that the format of this story's publication has worked against it for me.


Dave
In general, while this was not one of the better issues, and to be fair not every issue will be great,  I’m hoping this is just a bridge to the next arc of the story.


Kev
I was wondering that myself.  Is this chapter just the necessary connective tissue to get to the next act of this story perhaps?


Dave
It could well be.  Maybe covering the familiar ground is getting this out of the way so he can proceed to new territory.  Windsor-Smith seems like he knows exactly where he wants this story to go.


Kev
Oh yeh, definitely.  It's far from directionless, or meandering.

(D) & (K)

Next:  Weapon X is let outside for a trial run.

"You've got to have a dream, if you don't have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?"